Pentax updates K-5 dSLR, offers AA-filter-free model

As with the Pentax Q, I never got around to reviewing the Pentax K-5; but the latter I regret a lot more. Pentax makes pretty good dSLRs, and with its traditional dust-, weather-, and cold-resistant body plus comparable specs to the Nikon D7000, it really deserved a look. I hope the same won't be true about its replacement(s), the K-5 II and IIs which include some important updates. Taking a leaf out of Nikon's D800 book, the new model will come in two versions: one standard, the K-5 II, and one without an antialiasing filter on the sensor, the K-5 IIs.

Dropping the AA filter is an interesting move. On one hand, ditching it means more naturally sharp images -- the antialiasing process softens edges to eliminate the jaggies and moiré inherent in color-filter-array-based sensors. (Not a clue what I'm talking about? Try reading this primer.) But without an AA filter you have to post-process at least a little bit to fix any aliasing or moiré that crops up. And I would think that anyone seriously concerned with a small increase in sharpness would also be likely to opt for a full-frame camera. Then again, those don't come cheap. (Yet?)

Though it's the same resolution as the K-5 and K-30, the II/IIs uses a new sensor with a faster readout; I'm not sure how that will affect photo quality, as the unchanged ISO sensitivity range usually indicates no improvement in the midrange sensitivities. (For example, when a camera manufacturer says "now it goes up to ISO 102,400!" It usually means that ISO 102,400 is still unusable but ISO 6400 has gotten better.) But it also has an updated image-processing engine. The other important update is a new autofocus sensor which the company claims improves focus performance at f2.8 and better focus tracking, and it specs with the lowest AF exposure sensitivity I've seen, which theoretically means better ability to focus in dim light.

The cameras have the usual set of features you'd expect from a $1,200 body, but one of the more notable ones is the ability to pull the raw data from JPEG after it's been shot.

The biggest continuing weakness in the series is the video, which is still essentially the same as it was two years ago, and still doesn't use a real video codec or support 24p (much less 1080/30p). However, like its predecessor, with the battery grip you can load it up with AA batteries in a pinch.

In addition to the camera, Pentax also introduced a couple of new K-mount lenses. The $799.95 DA 18-270mm f3.5-5.6 ED SDM sounds like a relatively compact option for photographers who want a single, multipurpose lens; it has a minimum focus distance of 1.6 feet. It will be available in November.

That's one long lens.
Pentax

The other lens is the $6,999.95 HD DA 560mm f5.6 ED AW -- the "AW" stands for "all-weather" and "HD" is for a new coating which the company claims produces lower reflectance across the entire visible spectrum compared with other coatings. It also has a built-in filter holder and is "an elegant white to minimize heat haze generated inside the lens barrel due to long exposure to the sun." Not just to look like a pro Canon lens. It's slated to ship in December. Pentax also uses the HD coating in a new lens for its 645 medium-format camera, the $4,499.9 HD D FA 645 Macro 90mm f2.8 ED AW SR, its first optically stabilized lens for the system. It ships in October.